US Deputy Secretary Campbell meets Indian astronauts, discusses space partnership
Houston: US Deputy Secretary Campbell, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra traveled to Houston to observe the progress made in recent months in India-US space cooperation and to discuss ways to further develop the two nations’ space partnership.
The officials met with representatives from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), including two ISRO astronauts undergoing training at NASA Johnson Space Center in anticipation of joining a proposed mission to the International Space Station in 2025, according to a press release from the US Department of State.
Plans to deploy a NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth Science (NISAR) satellite in 2025 were proposed, which was a major advance. In order to discuss creative approaches to bolstering the commercial space industries in India and the United States, the authorities also met with members from the private sector.
“Excellent to visit the Johnson Space Center of @NASA with @DeputySecState Kurt Campbell and Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer,” Ambassador Kwatra wrote on X. He had the chance to talk about the US and India’s space cooperation, particularly the human space flight program and strengthening the two private sectors’ collaboration in the areas of innovation and technology. I was happy to meet the Indian astronauts who were undergoing training in Houston.
Our two countries reached an inflection point on collaboration across civil, security, and commercial space sectors after President Biden and Prime Minister Modi pledged in June 2023 to “reach new frontiers across all sectors of space cooperation,” and India signed the Artemis Accords, the White House said in a press briefing.
Along with reflecting on the progress of the last few months, Indian and American officials mapped out the next measures to further our collaboration during the Houston summit. The White House highlighted the launch of the Axiom-4 mission, the completion of a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation to enhance interoperability in space, the selection of two ISRO astronauts to train at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for the first-ever collaboration between American and Indian astronauts at the International Space Station, and the pursuit of a new agreement on advanced astronaut training.
Notably, talks were also held to advance defense space cooperation through the US-India Advanced Domains Defense Dialogue, India’s involvement in the annual Global Sentinel exercise of US Space Command, the launch of a joint challenge for space situational awareness under the India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), and the advancement of reviews of exports of missile technology.
